The porcelain dolls
by G-Gina
Summary: Yes, another mystery with Skulduggery and Valkyrie running around solving the problems of the world. This story is involving something to do with porcelain dolls, they turn up everywhere they should not be. This is my first fan fiction! please do R&R!
1. The first chapter

Valkyrie's eyes snapped open. There was someone in the kitchen, Valkyrie thought of all the likely people it could be, her father, mother, or even Alice who can walk now. Valkyrie was sure it was none of them, as they would make a lot more noise, her father attempting to sing or whistle some Christmas carol (always out of tune). Her mother would have more common sense then to wake up before the birds. Alice would of woken up Valkyrie screaming to play another game with her.

So most likely it was none of them. Then it definitely must be an intruder.

Valkyrie slipped on her dressing gown and started to walk out of the door, then stopped at the door, turned around and grabbed her necromancy ring, just for safety reasons.

Valkyrie crept down the stairs, _dang, I feel like a ninja, _Valkyrie thought.

Once Valkyrie's thought finished thinking about her and Skulduggery wearing ninja suits, she stuck her head around the door in the kitchen, crouching low to the ground ready to spring, looking for the source of all the noise. Valkyrie squinted trying to make out the figure in the dark, he was tall, very slim and wearing a well tailored suit.

Valkyrie sighed and straightened up, shoving the door up she whispered

"What are you doing here Skulduggery? Today is my day off, no work! Not being a detective, detecting people who plan to destroy the world, no killing gods! No god cop, bad cop. DO YOU UNDER-"

"Have you realised you have slowly been raising your voice, in any second now your dearest father will be running down the stairs with the first weapon he finds"

"Bet it will be his toothbrush"

"What does he plan to do with that?"

"Don't ask me, ask my father"

"I don't think he would like the idea of me waking him up"

"Probably not, what are you doing on my day of we agreed there would be no work today, it is Christmas"

"Maybe I am here to give you a Christmas gift?"

"You already have, and knowing you I would not be receiving another gift"

" You can never be to sure Valkyrie, never to sure"

" Well then am I getting another present?"

"No"

"No?"

"No"

"Then why did you wake me up so late in the night?"

"You mean early"

"Early?"

"Yes it is 2:26 in the _morning_, in other words your break is over and we are back to detecting things"

"Oh"

"Yes, oh"

"Then at least let me get dressed"

"I guess I can do that, I will make breakfast"

Valkyrie ran back up stairs, hoping the kitchen would not light on fire in her absence.

"umm thanks, isn't the toast a little to black?" Valkyrie questioned, once she had returned from the bed room dressed in her all black out fit, she was looking at the two black crisps of what she guessed was toast sitting on a plate, lathered thickly with butter.

"Hmm…. Maybe a bit, should still taste as good though"

"Well, I will just have juice I guess"

"Nothing else? You cant be fighting on an empty stomach!"

"Well how about you eat it then?" Valkyrie asked, while heading to the door.

"You know I cant" Skulduggery said following her out the door,

"Exactly"

"Exactly how?"

"I don't know, I am still a teenager, I know nothing! where are we going?"

"Sea world"

"Eight" Valkyrie replied rolling her eyes while buckling up her seatbelt.

"I still don't believe you woke me up this early"

Skulduggery slowed down the Bentley, there was a commotion in the middle of the road, of all places. As the Bentley pulled to a stop skulduggery and Valkyrie got out and entered the gathering, in the middle of the gathering was a body, well, it could not really be called a body anymore, it was just blood, bone and some other sickening parts of the what was a body scattered on the road, and in the centre of it all was a doll made of porcelain, cracked with age. Valkyrie gasped and staggered of to the closest bush (that was just a scrawny little weed, not really a bush at all is it?), and vomited up the little breakfast she had.

She felt a gloved hand on her back and a soothing voice belonging to Skulduggery.


	2. To see the elders

Valkyrie sat on a bench eating a cheese sandwich a sanctuary member gave her, it tasted stale, and she swore there was mould on the corner. Valkyrie gave up on trying to eat it and started to hunt down Skulduggery.

She found him talking to another sanctuary member, Jade Moss, who has just moved in from the sanctuary in Egypt, if Valkyrie was correct.

"Valkyrie, are you feeling better?" Skulduggery asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yes"

"Are you embarrassed?"

"Why would I be embarrassed?"

"Because you vomited in front of 50 sorcerers at most, most of them don't like us, and now they are talking of how the great Skulduggery Pleasant's partner can not stand the sight of blood."

"Well if you put it like that, then yes I am. I think you are just more concerned about your ego"

"Don't worry I understand" Skulduggery said, with something that sounded like sympathy.

"Do you?"

"I just said I did, but I think I am lyi-"

"I know you are lying" Valkyrie interrupted

"Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted, Miss. Moss was just telling me that the porcelain doll was laced with magic, but she can not recognise the symbols engraved on it."

"Why would a doll be laced with magic?"

"I don't know… could be a bomb"

"And where is the doll"

"In the elder's office"

"And what if it blows up?"

"Then they would most likely die"

"So we should probably do something"

"Yes, we are going to take the doll and drive to Brandon Gust's house"

"Wouldn't China's house be closer?" Miss. Moss asked, looking at Valkyrie than to Skulduggery, only to be answered by silence. Valkyrie watched Skulduggery's gloved hands ball into fists.

"China can't be trusted, now excuse us, we got to see the elder's," Valkyrie briskly answered, she grabbed Skulduggery's sleave and pulled him away from a baffled Jade Moss.

Valkyrie and Skulduggery walked in to the room, following Tipstaff

"Detective Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are here to visit you" Tipstaff stuttered

"Greeting's your royal majesties" Skulduggery said. Valkyrie was sure she was the only one that noticed that strained sound in Skulduggery's usual velvety voice. Luckily Skulduggery didn't punch anyone this time, Tipstaff still won't come anywhere closer than a 5-meter radios near Skulduggery.

"I am not amused," Mist replied, "by you joking of our position in this sanctuary"

"You look as stunning as ever Madame Mist" Skulduggery replied with the tip of a hat.

"That could be because her face is hidden" grumbled Erskine Ravel,

"Why so grumpy? Your most favourite people entered the room and you can't even smile for them," Valkyrie asked, raising an eyebrow,

"Look Skulduggery is smiling, he smiles all the time, maybe you should take some lessons from him"

"Maybe another day Valkyrie"

"Where is Ghastly?" Skulduggery asked, nodding towards the empty throne,

"Occupied" Mist murmured

"Occupied where?"

"I can not tell you"

"I am trust worthy person I wont tell anyone"

"Skulduggery, drop it," Erskine growled

"Very well then, we are just here to pick up the doll"

"It is in the box" Mist replied raising one gloved hand to point at the box in the side of the room.

"Skulduggery hurry up and solve this issue this is the third doll that has been found" Erskine murmured, looking out the window

"Where are the other two dolls?" Skulduggery questioned Erskine. He did not answer just continued to look out the grimy window

"They both shattered and turned to sand" Mist replied

"Why has this one not turned to sand?" Valkyrie queried, Erskine muttered something unintelligible about detective's

"Very well then we will be on our way"

"He is quite moody today" Valkyrie murmured, once they had left the sanctuary

"Quite" replied Skulduggery, the box in his arms.


	3. Brandon Gust

"Is this the house? Valkyrie asked squinting through the fogged up glass to see a little house on its own, no neighbours for miles around.

"Only one way to see" Skulduggery murmured, "Valkyrie get the doll"

Valkyrie jumped out of the Bentley, quickly creating a bubble of air around her to stop the rain getting her wet.

"I keep telling you, you have to start practising to repel the water, not to control the air," Skulduggery yelled at the front door of the shack, Valkyrie grumbled as she shifted the box under one arm and stomped towards the shack trying to avoid any puddles that looked deep enough to make her( it happened before, Skulduggery still teases her about it).

Skulduggery raised his gloved and knocked on the door, no answer, he continued to knock in a repetitive motion. The door flew open

Ok, ok! I got the message, _answer the door! _Look I am here I have answered the door? Are you happy? I have answered the…. Skeleton…" There stood the person that must have been Brandon Gust, with eyes about to pop out of his head.

"Hello, I'm Skulduggery I am sure you have heard of me"

"_The _Skulduggery Pleasant?" he asked his voice slowly raising,

"Oh my! Oh, you are a real skeleton I know every one says that you are a skeleton but you actually are one! Your suit! It is so fine! Impeccable tailoring! Just like they said! You must have the best tailor, who is he? Maybe I should go get my suit's done by him! Your hat, it is slanted on the perfect angle giving you that 1940's private eye look! You're incredible! Your clothes are incredible! Have I ever told you I am a big fan of you? I know there are a few, no, lots of people out there that don't like you but let me tell you that I like you, if you need any help at all I will help y-"

"Surprising that you have not ran out of air yet," Valkyrie growled,

"Now please let us in it is cold out here I see you have a nice fire in there and you have given me a headache with that voice of yours!" Valkyrie said, as she walked through the door, not waiting for the response of an invite in.

"Who is she sir? Is she irritating you? If she I will get rid of her!" Brandon Gust murmured looking up to Skullduggery with adoring eyes, Brandon was small three inches smaller than Valkyrie maybe even less. His head was balding and the remaining hair on his head ginger and his eyebrows were two bushy caterpillars, he had a slight beard forming, but most of it was just patches of fluff.

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow

"Am I irritating him? _Get rid of me?!" _Valkyrie started to laugh,

"your kidding me right? Seriously? Do you know me? I am Skulduggery's partner…. …." Valkyrie left the sentence hanging waiting for Brandon to fill it in. He just stared at her, head tilted slightly, looking quite like a bird.

"I will get rid of her sir! " he murmured, he looked up to Skulduggery, who had been chuckling slightly all the way through the encounter.

"No, no this is Valkyrie my trusty sidekick, please don't get rid of her, I do enjoy her stupidity," Valkyrie chocked and mouthed the word _stupidity,_

"and I think you have hurt her ego, saying that you don't know her, anyhow you do now know who she is." Skulduggery paused tilting his head as he surveyed Brandon.

" Could you help us with a case we are working on?" Skullduggery asked,

"Yes anything! Is it detective work? I have always wanted to be a detective!"

"Valkyrie, show him the doll" Valkyrie muttered as she got the doll out of the box and passed it into the eagerly waiting hands of Brandon. This was the first time that Valkyrie got to have a proper look at the doll, blond hair that tumbled everywhere a ribbon that tried to keep the hair out of the porclines face, the face had a fine nose with a splash of freckles over it, the eyes were strange one green and one blue.

"Interesting I can feel the magic laced through this…" Brandon murmured as he lifted the doll up to his eye's so he could see into the dolls eyes.

"I got to take this doll to the tool room… you can follow if you want…" Brandon murmured in a daze,

"This is such a fascinating doll…" he continued to murmur as he walked out of the room and down the stars to the basement.

"umm… I think we will stay here!" Valkyrie yelled at his retreating figure. She turned and smirked when Brandon was out of hearing range.

"Well, well, would you look at that? Somebody has their own fan club!"

"It just shows how important I am"

"Well if yo-" before Valkyrie had time to finish her quite witty remark screaming started down stairs, with smashing and voices down stairs, lots of voices.

Valkyrie raised her eyebrows at skullduggery, he nodded his head, and they started to sprint down the stairs to the basement.


End file.
